System and a method for rapidly clearing an exterior sensor surface on a vehicle

Abstract

Provided is a system and method for rapidly cleaning a surface utilizing a plurality of quick exhaust valves wherein the system is configured for particularly cleaning large or cylindrically shaped surfaces of sensors mounted to an exterior of a vehicle. The system and method contemplate the use of a plurality of quick exhaust valves arranged with at least one nozzle and at least one solenoid valve to efficiently express a dose of pressurized air onto the surface.

Having thus described the invention, I claim: 
     
         1 . A system for rapidly cleaning a surface along an exterior of a vehicle comprising:
 at least one exhaust valves wherein the exhaust valve includes:
 a housing that defines a cavity with an inlet port, a dose port, and an outlet port; 
 a dose chamber in communication with the dose port; and 
 a valve member placed within the cavity and configured to selectively communicate air pressure between the inlet port, the dose port, and the outlet port, wherein the valve member is configured to bias between a closed position and an open position, the cavity is divided into separate volumes by the valve member such that the selective bias of the valve member between the open and closed positioned allows pressurized air to be stored in the dose chamber and controlled to be expressed through the outlet port; 
   at least one nozzle in communication with the outlet port from the exhaust valve configured to express pressurized air onto a surface to be cleaned; and   a changeover valve in communication with the exhaust valve wherein the changeover valve is configured to selectively introduce pressurized air to said at least one exhaust valve and to selectively bias the valve member between the open and closed positions.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of exhaust valves in pressurized communication with a single changeover valve wherein each of the exhaust valves are in pressurized communication with at least one nozzle. 
     
     
         3 . A system of  claim 1 , wherein the surface to be cleaned has a generally cylindrical shape. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the generally cylindrical shape includes a height between about 25 mm to about 150 mm and a diameter of about 50 mm to about 300 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the dose port is attached to a dose chamber that is a separate volume continuous within the housing wherein the dose chamber is within the cavity of the housing. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the dose port is attached to a dose chamber that is a separate volume attached to the housing and outside of the cavity of the housing. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein when the valve member is in the closed position, pressurized air may not be expressed from the outlet port but may be openly communicated between the inlet port and the dose port and when the valve member in the open position, pressurized air may be expressed from the dose port through the outlet port and not communicated with the inlet port. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the exhaust valve is configured for rapid venting through the changeover valve to achieve quick opening of the valve member to release pressurized air from the dosing chamber to the outlet port. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the changeover valve is a 3/2 solenoid valve such that the rapid venting is achieved through the solenoid valve. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising at least one backflow valve in communication with at least one dose chamber and a source of pressurized air to allow for the rapid transfer of pressure from the source of pressurized air to the dosing chamber of said at least one exhaust valve when the valve member is in the closed position and the backflow valve is in the open position. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising at least one backflow valve in communication between at least one dose chamber or at least one nozzle and a source of pressurized liquid to allow for the rapid transfer of pressured liquid to be mixed with pressurized air in said dose chamber or said nozzle. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the plurality of exhaust valves are arranged in a series configuration relative to one another. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the plurality of exhaust valves include a first exhaust valve and at least one subsequent exhaust valve, the system further comprising:
 a first backflow valve in communication between at least one dose chamber of the at least one subsequent exhaust valve and the changeover valve such that the first backflow valve is configured to allow said dose chamber to be filled with pressurized air by a source of pressurized air when the changeover valve is open; and 
 a second backflow valve in communication between at least one inlet port of the at least one subsequent exhaust valve and the changeover valve such that the second backflow valve is configured to allow pressurized air into the at least one subsequent exhaust valve when the solenoid valve is open to toggle the valve member of the at least one subsequent exhaust valve in the closed position to allow the at least one dose chamber to be filled with pressurized air. 
 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the plurality of exhaust valves are arranged in a waterfall configuration relative to one another. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the waterfall configuration includes a first exhaust valve and at least one subsequent exhaust valve such that the dosing chamber of the first exhaust valve is in fluid communication with the inlets port of the subsequent exhaust valve and are configured to route pressurized air from said inlet port of said subsequent exhaust valve to said dose chamber of the first exhaust valve. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14  further comprising:
 a first backflow valve in communication between a dose chamber of a first exhaust valve, the changeover valve, the inlet port of the first exhaust valve; and 
 a second backflow valve in communication between a dose chamber of at least one subsequent exhaust valve, an inlet port of at least one subsequent exhaust valve wherein the first and second backflow valves allow the dose chambers to be filled with pressurized air by the air source when the changeover valve is opened; 
 wherein as the changeover valve is closed, the pressure within the dose chambers is configured to bias the valve members of the plurality of exhaust valves to the open position and exhaust pressurized air through the nozzles and against the desired surface; and 
 wherein pressurized air within the subsequent exhaust valve is configured to be rapidly exhausted from the inlet port of the subsequent exhaust valve to the dose chamber of the first exhaust valve, and pressurized air within the dose chamber of the first exhaust valve is configured to be rapidly exhausted from the outlet port. 
 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the system to is configured to provide a plurality of exhaust air bursts or pulsed air bursts from the at least one nozzle to clean a surface. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17  wherein between each of the plurality of pulsed air bursts, the dose chamber of the exhaust valve is filled with pressurized air to a static pressure and then the pressurized air is only partially exhausted from said dose chamber. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17  wherein the system further includes at least one of the following design features:
 an average mass flow rate of each pulsed air burst is at least about 0.5 g/s; 
 a nozzle outlet velocity is greater than about 50 m/s; and 
 a target system thrust of that is greater than about 0.025 N. 
 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the system further comprises at least one of the following design features:
 (a) the at least one nozzle includes at least one outlet having a cross sectional area wherein the cross sectional area of the at least one outlet is greater than a cross sectional flow area of the changeover valve;   (b) at least one tube connected between the exhaust valve and the at least one nozzle, wherein the tube includes a cross sectional area such that the cross sectional area of the tube is about 2 times a sum of the cross sectional area of the at least one outlet of the at least one nozzle;   (c) the outlet port of the exhaust valve has a cross sectional area that is greater than the cross sectional area of said tube connected between the exhaust valve and the at least one nozzle; and   (d) an absolute pressure in the dose chamber does not drop below about 2 times an ambient pressure as pressurized air is being exhausted from the dose chamber between exhaust air bursts.   
     
     
         21 . A method of rapidly cleaning a surface utilizing a plurality of quick exhaust valves and a plurality of nozzles comprising:
 providing at least one exhaust valve wherein the exhaust valve includes:
 a housing that defines a cavity with an inlet port, a dose port, and an outlet port; 
 a dose chamber in communication with the dose port; and 
 a valve member placed within the cavity and configured to selectively communicate air pressure between the inlet port, the dose port, and the outlet port, wherein the valve member is configured to bias between a closed position and an open position, the cavity is divided into separate volumes by the valve member such that the valve member is configured to be selective biased between the open and closed positions; 
   providing at least one nozzle in communication with the outlet port from at least one of the plurality of exhaust valves configured to express pressurized air onto a surface to be cleaned;   providing a changeover valve in communication with the at least one exhaust valves; and   controlling the changeover valve to selectively introduce pressurized air to said at least one exhaust valve and to selectively bias the valve member between the open and closed positions to operate said exhaust valves in a truncated cycle operation to provide a plurality of exhaust air bursts or pulsed air bursts from the at least one nozzle to clean a surface.